They made their way down a long white hallway and Bree looked only forward. She could hear weeping from one of the rooms and had to fight the tears choking her throat. She hoped to not have to step foot in another hospital for many years. She knew they saved lives, but being there was draining for her soul.
"Through here. Stay only ten minutes," the doctor said as he pointed to a closed door. Trenton didn't hesitate as he quietly pulled the door open.
Bree rapidly blinked her eyes as she saw her larger-than-life father lying in the small hospital bed with wires hanging from his arms. He was so pale, except for his bright red cheeks.
"Dad?" she whispered. If he was sleeping, she didn't want to wake him, but she really needed to hear the sound of his voice.
"Bree, come here, sweetheart," he croaked, and she rushed to his bedside and sank into the chair, quickly gripping the hand he held out to her.
"I remember, Dad," she said, needing to tell him. His eyes widened and brightened beneath the bright hospital lights.
"Ah, Baby, that's so wonderful. I knew it was only a matter of time." He knew exactly what she was talking about – of course he did, he was her Dad. She sniffled as she gave him a watery smile.
"I promise you, I'm going to be okay. There's no way I'm going to leave you kids. Besides, I have a brand new grandchild coming into this world who's going to need a lot of spoiling," he said with a gentle smile.
"I love you so much, Dad. Don't you ever scare me like this again," Bree demanded.
"I'll try not to, Princess," he answered, reverting to what he'd called her when she was just a young girl.
"You gave us all quite a scare, Dad," Trenton said as he took the seat on the opposite side of the bed.
"Ah, boy, you know your old man's too tough to let some clogged arteries keep him down. Stinking doctor is trying to blame food and liquor, but give me a week and I'll be dancing circles around that young punk," George said.
"I'm coming home and I'll make sure you stay on any diet the doctor puts you on. You're not invincible," Bree gently scolded him.
"I'd love to have you home, Bree, but I'm the parent here," he tried to sound commanding but couldn't quite pull it off while lying in a small bed hooked up to machines. Bree arched her eyebrows at him.
"We'll discuss it later," Bree promised. She didn't want to cause him stress right then.
"As much as I want you home, Bree, what will Chad think about that?" George asked.
Bree looked at him for a moment without having an answer. She was confused. She'd only just gotten her memory back and needed to really analyze what had happened since she'd met him. They had moved so quickly in their relationship, constantly under extreme circumstances.
"I honestly don't know, Dad," she answered. Even though he was hurt, he was still her father, and he always seemed to have the answers.
"Do you love him?" he asked her.
"Yes," she replied as she leaned in and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek. There was no point in lying to him.
"Mr. and Mrs. Anderson, your time is up," a nurse interrupted as she looked in the door.
"Come on, Betsy, they just got here," George grumbled.
"Don't you dare sass me, George," she said and it was obvious the two knew each other well. "Two more minutes," she compromised before looking pointedly at the clock, then them. She quietly closed the door and Bree had a feeling she was waiting on the outside of it, looking at her watch.
"We better go, Dad. You know the rest of the gang is anxious to get back here. If I'm not mistaken, Esther seemed pretty worried as she paced up and down the hallway," Trenton said with a twinkle in his eye.
"Don't you be starting any rumors," George said, but Bree noticed a bit more color infuse his cheeks. It looked to her like her father and Esther may have a little romance going on.
"I wouldn't think of it," Trenton replied. He stood up and kissed George's cheek before walking to the door and waiting for Bree to say Goodbye.
"I love you, Daddy," she said as she bent down and clung to him, taking in a deep breath of his special dad's scent.
"I love you more than you could ever imagine. Now, promise me you aren't going to worry about me. You need to be focused on my grandbaby."
"I can't promise not to worry just a little bit, but I do promise to take good care of this baby," Bree said.
"I can settle for that," George said with a small smile. "Now send in the troops."
The nurse popped back in and looked at them.
"We're leaving," Trenton grumbled. She was quite the rule enforcer.
"I'll meet you in the lobby. I need to use the bathroom," Bree told him. He seemed about to stop her, so she rubbed her stomach as a reminder.